Engraving machine



.G. E. ECKLER ENGRAV-ING MACHINE Sept. 23 1924.

Filed Jan. 19, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. G090? Z2114 k1 BY Moi A TTOR1%% Sept. 23. 1924. l 1,509,287 G. E. ECKLER ENGRAVING MACHINE Filed Jan. 19, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

P Geoqgel fcK/er ATTORNEYJ Sept. 2?, 1924. 1,509,237

ca. 1E. ECKLER ENGRAVING MACHINE Filed Jan. 19, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet. 3

I N VEN TOR.

Ohio, have invented Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

OR TO' THE FRANZ FOUNDRY A CORPORATION or OHIO.

ETED STATES PATET orrice.

GEORGE E.ECKLER, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGN COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO,

& MACHINE ENGRAVING MACHINE.

Application filed January 19, 1922.

dicated, to engraving mechanism have more:

to the provision of a mafor the engraving of tire particular regard chine adapted molds, -i. e., of a hollow concave surface of general annular form. As is well known, thethreads of tire casings are frequently of rather intricate design and considerable difficulty, as well as expense, has attached to the cutting or engraving of the necessary molds used in the manufactureof such casings- Such molds are regularly formed in two complementary parts corresponding with the respective half-parts of the tire casing as cut by a plane passing through a median line encircling its tread. It accordingly is necessary that the engraving of such complementary mold parts be very is to properly matchwhen such parts are brought together The object of the present invention, accordingly, is the provision of a machine that will be of simple'and substantial construction and yet capable of transferring more or less automatically a design from a master pattern or template to the peculiar curved surface whereon such'design requires to be'engraved or cut.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing ig. 2 is a front elevation of such machine;

accurately done if the design of the tread in the vulcanizing press.-

Fig. 3 is from the Serial No. 530,490.

an end elevation thereof as viewed rlght 111 Figs. 1 and 2; F igs. 4 and 5 are plan views on somewhat largerscale of two s sectional tructural details; and Fig. 6 is a detail.

The main frame of the machine, as illustrated in a bed 1 on legs the aforesaid supported at 2. The work drawings, comprises a convenient height lV,-c0ns1st1ng, as

aforesaid, of a half mold, is designed to be mounted on such table approximately centrally thereof, being temporarily fixedly secured by 3, as shown in F i any suitable means to a turntable g. 2. This turntable is rotatably supported thronghlthe medium of a ballrace 4 on a plate 5 carried by blocks 6 that slidably rest on the top of thebed. 1-

so as to The longitudinal position of the thus of t nally of the left-hand one and passes through said block threaded be movable longitudinally thereof. plate, and and of the work relaaccurately determined block 7 adjustably bed by the following means, stud .8 projects longitudifrom one of the blocks 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 7, having outer end a hand wheel 9.

he turntable the bed on its Pivotally mounted at one end of said block 7 is a lever 10 that is connected by means of a link 11 with such adjacent series of block 6, a. notches forming ratchet teeth 12 being provided on said block 7 in positionto engage with a suitable PIOJQCUOH on the under side of' the lever at a point between the point of attachment of said link 11 therewith and the outer the lever. its aforesaid link connection will accordingly be seen'that or operative end of By means of the latter, through with block 6, it such blockmay be forced to the right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, until the hub of hand wheel 9 engages with block 7, such block acting as a stop to li mit the movement of block6. The

engagement of the lever with the ratchet teeth 12 will then serve to hold the parts in the relative position determined by the adjustment of hand stud 8.

wheel 9 on threaded By loosening the nuts on" bolts 15, whereby block turntable,

scribed,

7 is clamped to the bed, the entire with the accessory parts last demay be moved longitudinally of bed 1 into approximately the position de sired for operating on the work carried by pinion 19, inorder to turn i is mounted in an made in the work,

'tachedto thelower end of spindle the work thereon st art,

said turntable. Final adjustment of: the position: of the work is then eheetedi by. means of hand wheel 9, the hub there-of being tight-ly pressed against block. 7 by means of lever 10. Thepos-ition of: the work. thus determined, however, is that at which the full depth of the cut accomplished by the cutting tool, presently to be described, is and the further function of the lever 10 will. thus appear, viz, to move the turntable and thus the work slightly to the left from such definitive position in order initially to bring the cutter into cutting position, it being understood that said lever willabe locked only upon establishment: of" the cutting operation to the full depth of the cut.

For thepurpose of rotating, the turntable, together with the work carried thereby, about their common axis a radially extending" arm 16 is provided, said arm being? rotat-ably secured to the turntable about a spindle 1T coincidingwiththe axis of said turntable (see Fig. 1*) andnormally project ing rearwardly entirely clear of bed 1' for some distance to the rear. Said arm 16 is locked to the turntable by means thatat the same time provide for the. indexing of the turntable relatively to the arm, such means consisting of an external gear 18 that extends circumferent'ially around the turntable just above'the ball raceel, and. a spur pinion 19 carried by a vertical shaft: 20, joii'rnaled in a suitable bearing; provided in' a casing; attached to the front end of arm 16. It will be noted that such arm extends forwardly beyond the shaft 17 to approximately the fi-ontedge of the turntable; A disk 21, suitably graduated, is fixedly at- 20 and and thus the spur table 3 about its The ratioof said pinion to gear 18* may of coursevary, but will be-fixedin any particular machine, and since it may not be possible to divide up the indexing of. the work into exactly an even number of turns ofthe pinion, adjustable means are provided for-locking disk 21% and thus spindle- .20 in serves to rotate the same,

axis.

selected. rotative position relatively to the end of arm 16, whereby the turntable with may be brought exactly to the proper position with respect to the cutter spindle in setting up the machine at the and such condition repeated for suc- To this end a plunger pin 22 arm 23 that is-secured to the casmgin'whifch said spindle 20 is journaled, said plunger being adapted to engage any one of a series of holes 24 in the-upper face ofthe disk. While said arm 23 is designed: to be normally non-rotatably' seeuredto such casing, its-position relatively thereto is rendered adjustable through a.

cessive cuts.

' split clilll'iplllg device 25,. controlled by a erned.

coincides with the axis of the transverse seetional curve formed by the intersection of" the surface w with a radial plane. It shoultli beexplamedithat in order to not confuse the showing; of the parts in Fig. 2, the cutter with the housing whereby. it is thus supported is shown: as raisedabove'its normah operating position. When in such position the axis 31 will coincide with the center. of' the transverse curve that defines the outer tread surface of the tire, such curve being regularly made on thearc ofa circle.

Tool spindle 31 is journaled' in a housing 33;,oscillatory as aforesaid about a transverse axis32 formed'in the outer end of an arm 3% that projects horizontally over. thet-nrntable 3 from avertically extending frame-35. The upper end of: spindle 31 isprovided with a pulley 36; around'which a belt, (notshown) maybe passed. in order. to drivesaid spindle,- and'thus the'cutter, it being of course understood'thatsuclrcutter may be driven-in any othersuitable manner, as for example, by means of" a. motor directly connected therewith. Thehousing- 33, wherein" said spindle is journaled; is sufficiently. heavy to causethesame tonormally tend to turn to the right, as viewed in Fig; 2," and thus raise the cutter 30' clear of the work; in order to depress the cutter intoengagement withthe work a hand lever 37' is pivotally' attached to the upper portion of' the vertical frame-35, one end ofsuch lever being connected by means of a link 38 with the housing 33 so t'hat'upon' pulling" down upon the other end of the lever thehousing" will be turned in a counter-clockwise direction about its axis- 32.

I Supported upon the extreme left-hand end of the bed 1 ofthemachine is a transverse slideway 405 and mounted'onsaidslideway is a slide 41, towhich is attached the master 'pat-te-rn on template T, by which the movement of" the cutter 31 across" the curved surface 10 of the work W'. is gov way &0 is effected and controlled by means ofa handwheel 4c2 mounted-on a transverse shaft 43 at the forwardend of the slideway, such shaft also carrying a sprocket wheel 44, about which passes a sprocket chain 45. Saids-procket chain is attached at onepoint to the-under side of the slide at a point approximately midway between Movement-of slide 41, upon slid'e' shown in Fig.

said blocks to the plate,

the ends thereof and I thence passes around said sprocket wheel 44 as ]L1Si described, and then in succession around wheels 46 and 47, the latter of which is mounted to the rear of the slideway It will accordingly be seen that rotation of hand wheel 42 will be directly translated into longitudinal movement, of the slide forwardly or backwardly, depending upon the direction of such rotation,

Longitudinal movement of slide 41 is in turn translated into oscillatory movement of turntable 3 through the medium of cable connections from said slide to the outer end of arm 16. Suchcable connections. will require specific description, but first it will be noted thatrin order to adapt the arm 16 for operation in the fashion just referred to with molds of different diameters mounted on the turntable, an arcuate contact must be secured between the outer'end of such arm and the portion of the cable connections that is attached thereto. In order to provide for such arcuate contact on circles of different radii the rear extremity of arm 16 is flattened in the formof a plate and provision is made for adjusta-bly securing thereto a plurality of blocks 51 that have their upwardly directed faces rounded so that when said blocks are assembled, as 1, such faces will'lie on a curve approximately conforming to the arc of the desired circle. Various means may be employed for thus adjustably securing the simplest being to provide the plate with a plurality of seriesof tapped holes and the blocks with slots through which set bolts extend int-o engagement-with such holes, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the blocks may be individually adjusted transversely of the plate and then clamped in place.

One portion 52 of the cableconnections 7 directly engaging with the assembled blocks mainder of the cable connections in inner end of 51 preferably consists of a steel band so as to have a flat bearing surface against such blocks and render it unnecessary to figure the thickness ofsuch band in calculating for the relative adjustment of parts. Such band passes around a suitable pulley 53 adjustably carried by a rearwardly projecting arm 55 and has its inner end fixedly attached to the side of slide 41 near the middle thereof, while its outer end is ad justably clamped at the farther side to plate 50 to the terminal block 51. The reques tion include an ordinary cable 57, in which is interposed a turnbuckle 58 and tension spring 59, said cable passing over a sheave 54 ad ustably mounted on an arm 56 and being carried around the front of the machine by suitably disposed sheaves 60. The said cable is disposed so as to lie alongside, and parallel with, slide 40, to

32 will be directly correlated.

which it is attached by means of suitable clamps at approximately the mid-point on said slide, while its outer end is clamped to terminal block 51 at the opposite end of the series from the one to which the end of band 52 is clamped.

Assuming that the blocks 51 have been disposed and secured to plate 50 on the end of arm 16 so as to provide an arcuate bearing face for steel band 52 concentric with the annular curve of the cavity 20 in the tire mold XV, and that a predetermined ratio has been established between the radii of such surface and cavity, it will be evident that a template mounted on slide a1, having a corresponding ratio between the dimensions of the design thereon and those of the design as it is to be engraved or cut onthe tire mold, may be employed to guide the movement of the cutter 31 in contact with the surface to of such mold.

The arm 34, from which is supported the housing 33 wherein the cutter spindle is mounted, is vertically adjustable with re spect to the framework 35, being carried by a head fitted to a vertical slideway G6 on such framework. Such head 65, together with arm 34L and other parts carried thereby, is held in adjusted position by means of a hand wheel 67 rotatably attached to the under side of the bed 1, and having threaded engagement with a shaft 68 that projects downwardly from said head (see Fig. 2). Rising upwardly fromthe head 65 is a plate-like extension 69, to which is pivotally attached the lever 37 previously referred. to as being operatively connected with the cutter-spindle housing 33 to oscillate same about pivotal axis 32.

Said plat-e also carries two transversely spaced rollers 70 and 71, respectively vertically adjustable in slots 72 and 73 and a bar Mthat lies directly above arm 34: and is guided between said rollers in a direction longitudinal of the bed 1. The right-hand end of said bar, as viewed in Fig. 2, is provided with a rack 75 that engages with a segmental gear plate fixedly attached to cutter-spindle housing 33, so that longitudinal movement of the bar and oscillator) movement of the cutter about pivotal axis The other, or left-hand end of bar 74, as viewed in Fig. 2, is attached to an upwardly extending structure 78. that forms part of a slide 79 mounted between rollers above slideway 40 soas to be freely movable in a direction transverse of the latter, or, in other words, transverse of the template T that, as here tofore explained. is attached to slide ell reciprocable on said slideway.

The means provided for the bar 74 to the upwardly tion 78 of slide 79 permit of justment of said bar attachment of extending porthe vertical adwhen rendered necessary by vertical adjustment of head (35 and of the roller guides and 71,.such adjustment being necessary to accommodate the bar to segmental gears 76 of different radius, such gears being interchangeably attached to the spindle housing in order to permit the ratio of the oscillatory movement of the spindle to the transverse movement otthe finder to be changed to correspond with the ratio of the rotative movement of the work-holder to the longitudinal move ment of said finder. Said slide 79 is also provided with a vertically adjustable clownwar'dly directed pin 81 that forms the finder co-operative with the design on the template or pattern T.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that in order for the finder 81 to follow transverse elements of the design on the pattern or template, slide 79will have to be reciprocated longitudinally. A simultaneous movement of the two slides, by producing-a compound relative movement between the finder and pattern will similarly permit the finder to trace angular or curved portions of the design. In the operation of the machine accordingly, hand wheel 42, which controls the longitudinal movement of slide 41, and lever 37, are so manipulated as to cause finder S1 to trace various portions of the design on the template with the result, first, that as slide 41 is shifted in one direction or the other, a corresponding rotative movement will be imparted to turntable 3,

d and thus to the tire mold mounted thereon through the cable connections between said slide 41 and the outerend of arm 16;

and, second, that lever 37 can be swung to oscillate the cutter spindle about pivotal axis 32 only as the engagement of the finder 81, with the design on the template, will permit of longitudinally shifting movement in one direction orthe other of slide 79, and thus of bar 74.

It is believed not necessary to explain further the general ope 'ation of the machine, the manner in which the several parts thereof are adjusted and operated having been already fully set forth. It will be noted, however, that all the foregoing adjustments are readily made and are of a character such as to accommodate wide variation in the dimensions of the tire molds or equivalent wor: being operated on, both as to the major radius of the concave surface or groove to in such mold. and the radius of transverse curvature of such groove. Of course it is not necessary or practicable to have a template of length equivalent to the entire circumference of the mold groove to be cut or engraved, but it is sufiicient to have such template reproduce merely a unitary portion of such design. The number of times that such unit design requires to be repeated in order to engrave or cut the entire circumference of the groove in the tire mold determines the number of times that the turntable will require to be indexed. The means provided for thus indexing the work permit of very accurate calculation in this respect and assure the perfect closing of the design.

Qther modes of applying the principl of my invention may be employed instead-oi the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosech'provided the means stated by any or the follow ing claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed. V

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 2- V 1. In mechanism or the character described, the combination; of a rotatable workholder, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatory about a transverse axis, and means including a template in the form of a pattern of the design to be out, said template being adapted to correlate rotative movement of said holder and oscillatory movement of said spindle.

2. In mechanism of the character de: scribed, the combination of a rotatable workholder, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatory about a transverse "axis, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said holder and oscillatory movement ofsaid spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, said template being operatively connected with said holder to rotate same, and a finder movable transversely of and interengaging with said template, said finder being 'operatively connected with said spindle to oscillate same.

3. In mechanism of the character de; scribed, the combination of a rotatable worliholder, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatory about a transverse axis, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said holder and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, cable connections between said template and said holder, a bar movable transversely of saidtemplate and operatively connected with said spindle to oscillate same, and a finder carriedby said bar and interengaging with said template.

4. In mechanism of-the character described, the combination of a rotatable workholder, a rotary' cutter-spindle oscillatory about a transverse axis, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement or said holder and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a-rectilinear direction, cable connections be-' tween said template and said holder, a bar movable transversely of said template, and provided with a rack, a segmental gear attached to said spindle and meshing with such rack, whereby movement of said bar serves to oscillate said spindle, and a finder carried by said bar and interengaging with said template.

In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article, having an annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, a rotary cutterspindle oscillatorily supported about a transverse axis approximately coincident with that of such, cross-sectional curve, and means including a template in the form of a pattern of the design to be cut, said template being adapted to correlate rotative movement otf said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle.

,6. In mechanism scribed, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article, having an annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatorily supported about a scribed,

transverse axis approximately coincident with that of such cross-sectionalcurve, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, said template'being operatively connected with said table to rotate the same, and a tinder movable transversely of and int'erengaging with saidtemplate, said finder being operatively connected with said spindle to oscillate same. i

"7. In mechanism of the character dethe combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article, having an annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatorily supported about a transverse axis approximately coincident with that of such cross-sectional curve, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, cable connections between said template and table, a bar movable transversely of said template and operatively, connected with said spindle to oscillate same, and a finder carried by said bar and interengaging with said template.

8. In mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article having an annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatorily supported about a transverse axis approximately coincident with that of such cross-sectional curve, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear cable connections between said template and table, a bar movable transversely of said of the character dcdirection,

template and provided with a rack, a segmental gear attached to said spindle and meshing with such rack, whereby movement of said bar serves to oscillate said spindle, and a finder carried by said bar and interengaging with said template.

9.111 mechanism of the character described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article having an annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, an arn'l. radial with respect to said table, means adapted to index saidta-ble relatively to said arm, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatorily supported about a transverse axis a iproximatelycoincident with that of such cross-sectional curve, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction and operatively connected with said arm to oscillate same and thereby turn said table, and a finder movable transversely of an intere-ngaging with said template, said finder being operatively connected with said spindle to oscillate same.

10. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like artiole, having an annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, an arm radial with respect to said table, means adapted to index said table relatively to said arm, a rotary cutter-spindle oscillatorily supported about a transverse axis approximately coincident with that of such cross-sectional curve, and in'icans adapted to correlate rota-tive movenientot said table and oscillatory n'iodvement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, cable connections between said template and said arm, a bar movable transversely of said template and opera tively connected with said spindle to oscillate same, and a tinder carried by said bar and interengaging with said template.

11. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article, having an. annular groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, an arm radial with respect to said table, means adapted to index said table relatively to said arm, a curved surface on said arm concentric with the annular groove in the work, a to tary cutter spindle oscillatorily supported about a transverse axis approximately coincident with that of such cross-sectional curve, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, operative conncctions bc tween said template and said arm ineludmg a flexible member contacting with the curved surface on the latter, a bar movable transversely of said template and operatively connected with said spindle to oscillate same, and a finder carried by said bar and interengaging with said template.

12. In mechanism of thecharacter described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article, having an annular groove or curved cross-section to be engraved, an arm radial with respect to said table, means adapted to index said table relatively to said arm, adjustable means on said arm adapted to present a curved surface concentric with the annular groove in the work irrespective of the radial distance between such surface andgroove, a rotary cutter spindle oscillatorily supported about a t-l'tillSX-Gl'St-J axis approximately coincident with that of such cross-sectional curve, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle,

said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, operative connections between said template and said arm including, a flexible member contacting with the curved surface on the latter, a bar movable transversely of said template and 0peratively connected with said spindle to oscillate same, and a finder carried by said bar and inter-engaging with said template.

13. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a rotatable work-holder, a rotary ci'it-tenspindle oscillatory about a transverse axis, and means adapted to correlate rotative movement of said holder and oscillatory movement of said spindle, said means including a template movable in a rectilinear direction, cable connections between said template and said holder, a bar movable transversely of said template and operatively connected with said spindle to oscillate same, a finder carried by said bar and interengaging with said template, and manually operable means for reciprocating said template and oscillating said spindle, respectively.

14. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like article, having an annular'groove of curved cross-section to be engraved, a rotary cutter oscillatorily supported about; a transverse axis above said table, means for shifting such axis relatively. to the plane of said table, means for shifting said table transversely of its axis, and means including a template in the term of a pattern of the design to be out, said template being adapted to correlate rotative movement of saidtable and oscillatory moven'ient of said spindle.

15. in mechanism of the character described, the combination of a turntable adapted to support a tire-mold or like ar ticle, having an annular groove of curved crosasection to be engraved, a rotary cutter oscillatorily supportedi about a transverse axis above said table; means for shitting such axis relatively to the plane of said table, means for locating said table in predetermined position in a direction transverse of its axis, ineans tor shifting said table from and returning same to such position, and means adaptedto correlate rotative movement of said table and oscillatory movement of said spindle.

Signed by me, this 17th 1922.

day January,

enonen n. EGKLER. 

